An Introduction to Everything2

A Place to Read

E2 offers you a huge amount of original writing of many kinds. You'll find informative articles on just about any subject you can imagine--and many that you never thought of. You will also find humor, poetry, fiction, opinion, criticism, personal experiences, and other things that are hard to categorize. These writings are collected in groups; a group of writings under ones title is called a node. Articles (also called writeups) are linked to others both deliberately by authors and by registered readers passively browsing. Just by following links from one article to another, registered users are contributing to the site by leaving "footprints" that future readers can follow.

A Place to Write

You can become a member of the community and publish your own writing here. Registering on the site is free. Unlike some Web publishing venues, you retain all rights on what you share with us and the world. Our editorial process is not as strict as it is elsewhere and you'll have ample opportunity to improve as a writer. Even if your first few articles don't make the cut, you can always rewrite and republish them here with the help of other users.

A Place to Discuss and Socialize

E2 lets you interact with the highly diverse community of people who read and write the Everything2 content. You can give them private feedback on their work and receive feedback on your own. You send messages or chat in real time. You can join groups of members that share your special interests.

This is an unusual and vibrant community where you might be exposed to ideas, styles, viewpoints, personalities, suggestions about music, movies and other art forms, and other kinds of inspiration that you will not find in one place anywhere else.

What it is Not

While Everything2 contains discussions, it is not a bulletin board. There are factual articles on Everything2, but it is not Wikipedia. Although feedback and criticism can be shared privately, Everything2 does not encourage this publicly. Highly polarised opinions are shared here, but other users place high expectations on their presentation. Don't let all this frighten you: the Everything2 community is not insular, and is welcoming to new members.